


Poisonous Negotiations

by Sun_Spark



Series: Southside Serpent's Court [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie Andrews Needs a Hug, BAMF Betty Cooper, Established Relationship, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Gang politics, Group dynamics, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Negotiations, Non-Sexual, Poly Relationship, Polyamory, Pop's Choc'Lit Shop, Pretty Poisons, Season 3, Serpent Consort Archie Andrews, Serpent King Jughead Jones, Serpent Queen Betty Cooper, Serpent's Court, Southside Serpent Archie Andrews, Southside Serpent Betty Cooper, Southside Serpent Jughead Jones, Southside Serpent Leader Jughead Jones, archie has anxiety, fangs, post-juvie, sweet pea - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 05:40:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20961380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sun_Spark/pseuds/Sun_Spark
Summary: Jughead Jones, Serpent King, sits in Pop's Choc-Lit Shop alongside his Queen, Betty Cooper, and their Consort Archie Andrews, to negotiate peace with a poisonous turncoat. Toni Topaz isn't here for debate and she isn't here to play nice, but Archie's plan will require her cooperation if the Pretty Poisons are ever to be Serpents again.OrThe second chapter to my Serpents' Court Series. Archie, Jughead, and Betty try to convince Toni to rejoin the Serpents and still lead the Poisons.





	Poisonous Negotiations

**Author's Note:**

> Yes. This is very late. All I have to say is this: A: My health sucks. B: Junior year of college, I don't sleep and I have little time to write. C: Thank you for your patience. And finally, D: Most of the rest of the pieces are in editing, unlike this stubborn piece that didn't want to be written.

Pop’s Choc’lit Shop, an epitome of memory and a center of the town called Riverdale. Here families spent Sunday lunches in their best dress and school kids whiled away their hours to escape from school’s oppression. This building, with its neon lights ever shining through the darkness, was the town’s center, holding memories good and bad. Where else would the leaders of Riverdale’s unofficial nervous system come to meet? Where else would the Serpent’s rulers sit down to negotiate terms with a poisonous turncoat? With the White Wyrm gone, there was no better place.

So here, under fluorescent lights, with nothing but the old AC system sounding in the background sat the Serpent King Jughead Jones, flanked by Betty Cooper, their Queen, at his side, and Archie Andrews, the Red Paladin, the Warrior, and their Consort, perched on the bench’s back behind him, void of his usual bright letterman jacket in favor of a darker denim covering. In contrast to them was Toni the lone leader of the Pretty Poisons, sat on the other side of the table, alone and without allies or advisors or generals to back her up. Between them, four milkshakes sat untouched and melting in the heat under their stares.

Toni was aggressive, she always had been, and had never liked to admit someone else’s opinion may be better than her own, at least not since she started dating Cheryl. This was painfully obvious from her words and actions, and the orders she had given to the Poisons, over the last few weeks. It was evident now in her tense and cocky posture, arms crossed and leaned back, staring them down, quite literally down her nose, perfectly manicured black and magenta nails glinting as they tapped on the sleeves of her jacket. 

Jughead, for his part, was mindful to keep a neutral but firm expression on his face, stern but not challenging. After all, Archie and Betty both had made the point beforehand to remind him that he needed to maintain a visage of strength, confidence, and control, but not of arrogance nor anger. It… wasn’t easy. This girl, her bitch of a girlfriend, and the Poisons she controlled had thrown away every rule or meager scrap of honor by which they had lived for years as Snakes. They had turned on those they’d once called family and attacked them without care, yet Toni and Cheryl had the audacity to act holier-than-thou and act as if they had done nothing wrong. It angered him, horribly, but he had to set that aside, for all their sakes. He was here to broker peace, for the sake of his family, for those who had placed their trust in him to lead. His rage had no place here.

Toni popped her gum, the sound too loud, too forceful, aggression and arrogance in every micromovement necessary for the movement. “What do you want, Jones?”

Jughead set his jaw and breathed deeply. “We came to negotiate an accord, Toni. A way to have the Serpents and the Poisons back together with all parties happy.”

Toni’s lip curled and she ran her tongue over the corner of her upper lip as she leaned forward, arms crossed over her chest, manicured nails displayed on her upper arms. His eyes caught on them and disgust simmered in his throat. His family was homeless and starving and this girl, who had a hundred dollars flaunted brazenly on her nails alone, thought she should lead them? She was likely trying to appear enticing and intimidating at the same time with the display. She just looked like a pissed-off cat really, but Jughead kept that thought off his tongue and away from his expression. “Oh, so now you have an interest in my _‘vanity project’_, as you put it?”

Jughead bowed his head and said evenly, “That was an error on my part,” He paused long enough to gather his thoughts, but not long enough for Toni to interrupt. “I was impatient and angry, for that, I apologize. But you cannot deny that you too went too far, Toni.”

She sneered at him silently and he sighed just as quietly, continuing on in an even tone with barely a pause. “Mistakes were made on both sides Toni,” More on hers, but he didn’t state that, “This is bigger than us, and I did not come here to exchange jabs or compare failings. I came here to negotiate a better situation for both our groups.”

Her sneer hadn’t fallen, and now harsh words fell to join it. “You threw us out!” Jughead bit his tongue and focused on the pressures of Archie’s legs against his shoulder and Betty’s hand on his knee. “You broke Serpent law and your actions endangered us all. Should I have not followed through on the law?”

“You were going to give Fangs a pass!” She snarked. He bristled but forced calm into his tenor. “You were joyriding, Fangs was trying to save his mother’s life!” Despite his best efforts, he didn't say that calmly and it was barked out harshly. He breathed deeply, acutely aware of Archie’s leg pressing into him more firmly as the redhead discretely leaned closer to him. He controlled his voice back to an even calm. “Yes, I should have upheld the law on both counts, and ultimately I did, but life and death situations are more difficult to judge than going off for the hell of it.”

That, at least, gave her pause, but her expression did not waver in its set determination as she leaned back in her seat, arms crossed haughtily. “You know my terms Jones, I told you the last time we did this and they haven’t changed.”

She seemed content to sit back then and let him respond, assuming she had the high ground. But Betty and Archie had not come here to look pretty and give silent support, all the same, it took Toni by surprise when Betty tilted her head inquisitively and leaned forward. 

“You want to be Queen? Let’s be honest Toni, you lost any right you had to that a long time ago.” Her tone wasn’t mocking, but it left no room for argument. Toni’s lips pulled back in a snarl as she leveled Betty with a glare of disdain. Betty didn’t seem bothered. “Oh, so the Northside Princess has a tongue!”

The seventeen-year-old in Jughead desperately wanted to snarl and yell at her disrespect, but the leader in him who was quickly becoming jaded counseled something calmer and colder. Advised that he end this spat quickly and mercilessly without alienating this girl too much. 

“Once upon a time you would have been a great leader, but lately? Remind me where the hell you were when our family were living in crowded tents? When almost none of us were employed because of Hiram Lodge? When we could barely afford medicine, or food, or clean water? And in fact could not, and so had to risk life, injury, and freedom to steal these things for our sick, elderly, and children? Where were you when Junker was coughing up his lungs? When Addy couldn’t get to her school safely? When Jinx’s nine-year-old sister was put in the hospital by Ghoulies? When Old Testament’s wife died?” He stared at her flatly, her bright eyes having snapped back to him when he'd begun speaking. “Where were you Toni?” 

She didn’t answer fast enough and he didn’t let her, nor did he allow his tone to change. “Because I seem to remember, if you need me to jog your memory, you and your girlfriend were robbing people for fun. You were running around breaking Serpent Law for shits and giggles, and as a result, you nearly brought a mob boss, the mayor, and a corrupt sheriff down on all or heads. While our **_family_** was suffering you were taking a cross country trip, breaking the law, and screwing your girlfriend in a comfy mansion.” He’d maintained an even, low tone, and his expression hadn’t wavered from its stony setting. “Do you honestly think you’re still fit to be Queen in any way?”

Toni bristled and tried to deflect. “And where the hell were you Jughead? Not with them!”

Jughead, having been watching on with his chin tilted down, finally gave in enough to pull the corner of his lips back to reveal his canines in a snarl. “I was dismantling the Ghoulies, getting rid of _my own mother_ because she was a _threat_, and taking on a damn _mob boss_ and _corrupt sheriff!_” He cocked his head to the side in a jerky movement, a tone just shy of mocking entering his voice. “Wanna know why? Because they were active threats to the Serpents' safety and very existence, and I wasn’t going to send someone in my place!”

“So you abandoned them to protect them?” She scoffed, “**_Bullshit._**” Jughead’s expression hadn’t changed but his icy stare began to heat with visible traces of his anger. “_**Wrong.**_ I left Old Testament, Sweet Pea, Jinx, Sparrow, and my father with specific directions to take care of the group. I spent every moment I could with them, and if not with them, then protecting them.” He paused for a moment, but all she did was glare. “I haven’t been perfect by any means, but I’ve done the best I could for our family. Can you say the same, Toni?”

Things could have devolved into nothing more than anger and curses, but Archie had witnessed and taken part in one too many fights not to recognize the tipping point they had rapidly come upon. He curled a hand over the back Jughead’s neck, gently pressing into the tense muscles there as he met Toni’s eyes. Archie was a strange beast, both your typical high school jock with a heart of gold and simultaneously a hell-hardened warrior. Hiram Lodge had said there were two Archies’: the innocent and the murderer. He was wrong. There was the loving boy and the jaded veteran, and both were tied together by loyalty and love for his family. “We didn’t come here to fight, Toni.”

His even, almost too quiet tone, took her by surprise and she jolted, seemingly having forgotten he was there. He took a moment to take a deep breath, feeling more than seeing Jughead do the same. “Look, Toni,” The quiet, steady tone he used worked, by some miracle, and Toni’s gaze landed on him with slightly less animosity. “We know what you want is a chance to lead, but so long as Jughead is the Serpents' King, you will not be their Queen.” Her lips pulled back and he could nearly see the scathing response growing on her tongue. He held up a hand placatingly, not ashamed to let his silent plea for patience play over his expression. He'd learned the importance of vulnerability in strength these past months. “That’s why we’ve thought over an alternative, one that would ally the Serpents and the Poisons, and give you the chance to lead. Hear us out, please, for the sake of your girls and the Serpents if nothing else.”

She stared at him, searching his expression as if he were a stranger wearing a familiar mask. Finally, she huffed a sigh heavily, but sat back and gestured vaguely at them with a lazy hand before letting it drop back to her arm. “Fine. I’ll listen, but I make you no promises.”

Jughead let them settle a moment, not rushing to filling this silence. He took the moment to be aware of his companions; Betty’s hand gently grasping his knee, finger tapping in a reassuring rhythm, and Archie, still shy and unsure of his place but not showing it here. He seemed at home in this place, negotiating peace between volatile parties, not for the first time Jughead wondered just what his boy had been through in juvie, and his heart clenched at the thought. He filled his lungs and displaced those thoughts, now wasn’t the time for them, so instead, he focused on the steady pressure of Archie’s leg and the hand laid discretely on his shoulder. As at peace as he could be, and sure of his companions and their judgment, even if he may doubt himself, he raised his head and set calm eyes on Toni’s guarded, fiery ones. 

“All other matters, and any personal disputes between us aside, I know the Poisons left the Serpents for a reason.” Toni scoffed and a sneer bloomed over her lips, as if he had just stated something so obvious as ‘the night sky is dark’. He didn’t react. “I know the Serpents still have old practices, unfair and, frankly disgusting, practices like the Serpent Dance that the girls are put through.” His jaw locked as he grit his teeth, anger for once aimed at his people and not at Toni. “I’m going to deal with that. I already intended to, things just…got crazy for a while, and I got distracted from non-life-threatening matters.”  
She watched him with curiosity now, the flames of her strong will abating enough in her eyes for her gaze to fall on him with guarded intrigue. 

He took a moment and his eyes looked up to meet Archie’s, the boy’s calm amber grounding him as he chose his words carefully. Finally, he looked back to Toni. “I’m going to be blunt and put this as simply as I can, we can debate the details afterward, but I’d rather get to the point, agreed?”

Her brow raised but she gestured for him to continue, that was agreement enough. They had agreed previously that this should be presented from him and not as Archie’s idea. The redhead and the blonde both felt he needed to present this as a calm and in control leader, so he threaded his words accordingly. “We want the Poisons to become part of the Serpents again.”

Toni’s eyes flashed and for the first time Jughead finally saw the older-sister mentality and protectiveness that had originally drawn Toni and her girls to create their own group. He held up a hand placatingly, ensuring his arm was bent and loose, hand relaxed and not rigid so this appeared as the request it was and not a command. “But, we want them to remain Poisons as well.” She paused, confusion clear in the drawing of her brows. For now, confusion and protective fire melded in her eyes, he dropped his hand and his chin as well, ducking his head enough to show in a gesture that he was not threatening her. “Will you listen to how?”

The muscle of her jaw jumped as her teeth locked together, at the same time her nostrils flared ever so slightly as she drew a deep breath, eyes never leaving from their place boring into his own. Her own chin dropped, not in submission but defensiveness, and she sat back, still tense but open. “I’ll listen.”

He nodded his thanks and made a point to lean back into the chair, leaning into Archie. The reason for this was twofold, a wish to be close to one of his partners, but also an act of moving away from Toni, showing that he was not attempting to lord over her or make himself more important here. 

“What we’ve thought is basically this: The Poisons rejoin the Serpents, meaning that they follow Serpent law and live by our customs,” Her jaw ticked again and he raised his chin, tilting his head in a silent calming plea. She allowed it. “They would remain Poisons, an autonomous group within the Serpents. That way they would not lose the protection or support you’ve created, but we would no longer be fighting over resources or territory. Make sense?”

Her eyes had narrowed as he spoke, more in thought than aggression, and now she leaned forward, folded arms resting on the table instead of over her chest. “You mean you want the Poisons to remain an autonomous group but still answer to you?” She scoffed. “That doesn’t make sense Jones!”

He grinned, almost like a child, he couldn’t help it, and he could see the action beginning to spur anger in her again. “Well, that’s where you come in Toni.” Perhaps it was the lighter tone, or the words themselves, or the playful grin it was said with, whatever it was, it gave her pause. Jughead leaned forward, resting his own arms on the table to mirror her, the action less one of posturing and more akin to two children making plans for something mischievous and not entirely within the rules.

“You've said you want a chance to lead, that’s why your terms were that you become Serpent Queen.” She didn’t answer, only raising a brow at him in a movement that easily translated both ‘Duh’ and ‘Continue’ simultaneously. “Look Toni, I can not make you Queen, and I’m not sure the Serpents would accept it if I did, **_but_**,” He stressed the word, cutting off the snarky response. “If the Poisons become part of the Serpents again, you would remain their leader, and I would ask you to act as a General or an Advisor, rather than a Queen.” He sat back and watched her expression carefully. “You would still have the chance to lead, Toni, and you’d have a place in the decision making.”

She sat back, considering his words and him through narrowed eyes. “I thought Kings ruled alone.”

He scoffed softly and shook his head. “Past Kings perhaps, but that doesn’t make much sense does it? One person in charge of everything?” He shook his head. “No, it makes much more sense to have a Queen,” he gestured at Betty, “a General and Advisor,” he gestured toward Archie, “trusted leaders like Sweet Pea and Fangs, council like a former king and elders, and” he gestured towards her, “a General and Advisor who’s in charge of arguably that most difficult and deadly faction of the group.” He tilted his head at her, watching her think it over. “Would I still have the final say as King? _Yes._ And would the Poisons ultimately have to bow to Serpent law and decree? _Yes._ But I’m not interested in having a dictatorship, nor in having the Poisons lose the community they've formed. I’d much rather have a,” He trailed off and shrugged, “I dunno, a Court, if you will, and I’d rather be able to trust and listen to them.” He sat back fully and let her make her decision. “I’m asking you to be part of that Toni.”

She popped a bubble of gum, minus the previous aggression the motion had held, and breathed deeply, eyes fixed on the table as she thought it over. Jughead gave her the space and time to do so, taking advantage of her gaze no longer being on him to more fully relax against Archie’s leg and tilted his head back ever so slightly to rest it against his hip. He felt Betty shift silently and press her leg beside his and he carefully reached out to take her hand. In the moments that passed, he merely breathed and grounded himself in his partners, taking peace in their steady presence. Finally, Toni looked up at him and he saw that her eyes were clear, lit with intrigue and intelligence rather than aggression. Her tone likewise was calmer and more curious now.

“Well Jones, I can see a dozen ways _at least_ that this is going to blow up in our faces. But…” She blew her gum again and tilted her head, the smallest hint of a familiar grin beginning to bloom on her lips. “I suppose it would be to the benefit of both our groups. But you have to understand that my girls are not going to take anyone's shit. We’re not coming back to deal with the same crap, all the misogynistic crap stops, even if it will take time for that to happen, understand?”

He nodded and grinned, sharp and fierce. “Of course," The words dripped sickly sweet, but she understood the venom in them wasn't directed at her. "Why do you think I want you in charge of the Poisons?” He saw the same viciousness coloring the edges of her grin as his own, her dark eyes flashing with the excitement known to war-bloody Queens of old. The sight of it made him want to laugh in elation. Yes, this was definitely what they wanted.

She sat back, the motion casual now, and crossed her arms, dagger-like nails no longer on display but tucked away. “Well then Jones, I’d say you’ve got yourself a deal. So long as you hold to your half of it, so will I.” The words were matched with the friendliest grin she'd given him in months, and he matched it as he nodded. “Alright then, I’ll hold the both of us to that.”

Betty sat forward ever so slightly, watching Toni carefully but not hostilely. She recognized that if Toni was going to have an issue with anyone it was going to be the “North-Side Princess”, as she put it, who was the Serpent Queen. All the same, while she was not going to antagonize the girl, nor was she going to be docile or weak in front of her. “This isn’t going to be an easy transition. Both your groups have things they are used to, things that are going to have to change on both sides. You’re going to have to be prepared to act as a united front and deal with those tensions and disputes.” 

Toni’s gazed searched her, calculating and piercing, but not hostile, and Betty understood now. It wasn’t that Toni disliked her, so to speak, but rather that she wanted Betty to be a strong Queen worthy of her title. Because of Betty’s heritage, her bloodline, and her position within the Serpents, Toni was going to scrutinize and challenge her the most, not to break her, but to temper her like a steel blade. The blonde made note of that and filed it away with the intention to make this girl a valued ally, because of her challenging nature, not in spite of it.

“Well, you’re not wrong _Princess._” She drawled. Jughead’s jaw ticked but Betty’s hand on his leg suddenly became firmer, restraining, and his eyes were drawn to her in confusion carefully masked. She’d explain it later, but she did not want him to get in the middle of this, she had a feeling she was going to value the pink-haired girl’s challenging spirit and she wanted to find the balance between them on her own. Toni popped her gum and appraised her with a challenging but not-quite-hostile gaze. “Anything in particular come to mind?”

Betty grinned, the edges of her being seeming to blur as the viciousness and strength of ancient queens seemed to bleed into her. She met Toni’s eyes with a grin just shy of sharp, inviting like a spider to its prey, her own gaze glinting with a razor-sharp warning and an invitation of friendship both. Toni recognized these and her smile echoed the same in acceptance and return of the invitation. Jughead and Archie both witnessed this and understood that something more was happening, and so sat in silence, remaining in awe of their partner’s strength and will, feeling no need to make themselves known in the bubble of space that had surrounded the two girls. 

“Off the top of my head? The Serpents have a lot of sexist bullshit that has been ingrained in them since they were children. They can, and will, change how they act and speak, but it will be difficult because they have not only never been called on it, but just the opposite, they have been raised to act this way.” Toni’s chin lifted in appreciation and appraisal both, accepting the show of intelligence and strength but not backing off of her challenge. Betty’s lips pulled back ever so slightly at the corner, turning her smile wicked and sharp. “As for the Poisons. Well, I doubt the Serpents will soon forget that six of them attacked two unarmed boys that they had recently been calling ‘brothers’, _now will they?_” 

She wasn’t talking down to Toni, recognizing the other girl’s strength and power as equal to her own, if only presented in a different manner and rank, but she did not bother to hide the disapproval therein. Toni lowered her chin, a slow and graceful nod of acknowledgment. “No. They won’t.” She sighed quietly, allowing Betty to see vulnerability but not weakness. “Truthfully, I was not aware of that when it happened. The girls are my responsibility, and I will deal with them, but they acted without my approval that night.”

Betty softened her posture, no less showing in strength but still more receptive and inviting of friendship rather than aggression. Her tone, too, she softened and quieted. “Cheryl?” It wasn’t an accusation, merely a gently question. Toni nodded and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yeah.”

The boys, having been watching this parry of exchanges in awe, had been silent this whole time. Archie leaned forward tentatively, curling into himself subconsciously as he did, unsure of how to say what he needed to, as a consequence he found most of his weight being shifted into Jughead, drawing the other boy’s concerned gaze to him. He tried to reassure the raven-haired boy with a smile as he steeled himself and took a deep breath, then he straightened a bit and looked up, drawing Toni’s gaze to him. “That, actually brings up the one thing that might be a massive issue in all this.”

Toni’s eyes fell on him with a raised brow, her lips pursing in slight annoyance at having their sparring interrupted. “Yes?” 

Archie took a deep breath and met her gaze evenly but not in challenge. “Cheryl." He said it as quietly and gently as he could. "She’s likely going to be the most difficult part about this.”

Toni’s eyes narrowed, the first traces of aggression starting to return to her bearing. Archie did not cower before her but met her evenly, but all the same Jughead could practically feel Archie’s wish to not be in this conflict. He raised an arm and casually laid it across the redhead’s legs, pressing the backs of his knuckles softly against his side to calm and reassure him. Jughead himself met Toni’s gaze. “Look Toni, Cheryl is a Poison, and more than that she is important to you. I’m not going to ban her. But her actions have come close to endangering us, or just straight up put us at risk more than once. She doesn’t follow the plan, she challenges everything when it isn’t her place, and she acts without stopping to realize that the immunity of her social position isn’t extended to the rest of us.” He tried desperately to keep an even and gentle tone, he didn’t want this to become an argument, or even to ruin everything else they’d just accomplished. “She’s a valuable asset and ally, but she’s a loose cannon Toni. She’s not fit to lead, no matter how much she wants to, and if this is going to happen, I need you to keep her in check. _Please._”

It might have seemed as if the plea of ‘please’ had been tacked on as an after-thought, but his tone made it clear that it was just that: an honest plea. Toni took a deep breath and raised her head from where it had been lowered in thought. She sighed and met his eyes with a weary gaze. “A part of me, a large part, wants to snap at you and argue, defend her…but…” She sighed again. “You’re right. She is a loose cannon, and we’ve been working on that but, she’s stubborn.” She nodded, as if to herself, and the first traces of steel returned to her bearing and her eyes. “I’ll take care of it.”

She raised her head and met his gaze with a small grin. “We really doing this Jones?”

He huffed a small laugh, “Yeah, Toni, I think we are.”

She nodded and laid her hands on the table and leaned forward as she made to get up, speaking as she did so. “Alright then. I’ll get my girls and I’ll get them ready.” She stood in a fluid motion and Jughead tracked her, tilting his head up to look at her, consciously baring his throat to her. “I’ll tell the Serpents tomorrow, and I’ll make sure they know that you’re part of my group now, should make them think twice before screwing with you.”

She snorted, a small laugh as her eyes tracked the room. “You’re serious about this whole ‘Court’ thing, aren’t you?” He nodded, “Yes, I am.” She returned the nod and said simply, “Good.” before walking away.

Jughead did not allow himself to relax fully until the door to Pop’s had closed and Toni’s bike had disappeared. Once it had he let out a deep sigh and released the tension that had been coiled throughout his back, relaxing into the seat cushion behind him. Archie slid down from his perch and sat next to him, the three of them on one side was a tight fit, but they didn’t really mind. Betty turned sideways, her back to the wall, and Jughead shifted closer to her, allowing Archie the room to settle next to him, albeit with the boy’s side pressed into his. The redhead broke the tension with a quiet sigh. “Well, that went better than expected.”

A small laugh startled out of Jughead as he laced his hand with Betty’s and let the other discretely curl around Archie’s side under his jacket. “Definitely way less fighting then I expected.” He shook his head lightly, gaze tracking over his still skittish partner, even if the boy did hide it well. “In all honesty, I wasn’t sure it was going to work.”

Archie huffed quietly but didn’t answer. Betty leaned towards them, one arm sliding around Jughead and, more discretely, allowing her hand to rest on Archie’s arm. “It’s a good plan Arch, we just weren’t sure how Toni would take it.” Archie ducked his head shyly and Jughead’s lips pulled into a fond grin as he tilted his head forward to catch the boy’s eye. “Lucky for us, our Archie’s a genius, and Toni isn’t completely insane.” 

Archie huffed an embarrassed laugh, a light blush spreading over his neck, but he met their gazes shyly, they counted that as a win and left it at that. Jughead dropped his head back and groaned. “Gah, I’m tired. Can we table the rest of this until tomorrow?”

Betty laughed, a light and playful sound. “Alright Jug, I guess it’s about time we headed to bed. Where to?”

Jughead didn’t raise his head, but gazed at Archie from his peripheral, testing the waters as he spoke. “Well…We could go back to mine, but Jellybean and my Dad are nosy…We’d fit easier at Archie’s, plus the window’s easier to climb in.”

Archie snorted quietly, and Jughead let go of the last bit of tension when the boy didn't balk at the suggestion. “Betty’s the only one who needs to use it, Dad won’t say anything about you staying over. He might say something about all of us being in the same room though.”

Betty grinned. “We’ll be quiet.”

Jughead grinned. “Yeah, we’ve had plenty of practice at that!” The playful tone wasn’t lost on them and Archie rolled his eyes while Betty smacked him over the head, both eliciting snickering from the boy. “Alright, alright. Shall we go?”

His companions nodded and they shuffled out of the booth and towards the door, Jughead’s arm around Betty and his other over Archie’s shoulders, the redhead and the blonde both with an arm around the boy’s back. Negotiations and wars weren’t settled in a single night, for now, they could count the victory and take the time to rest until the new dawn, and all the challenges it would bring.

**Author's Note:**

> WHOOOO!! I hope you guys enjoyed that, now that it's done I certainly have! If you see any errors, please let me know. 
> 
> Kudos make my day, but comments and talking to you guys, gals, and nonbinary peeps really makes this worth it and inspires me, so please comment! <3


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